Morris Wetland Management District

The Morris Wetland Management District is dotted with thousands of small wetlands or "prairie potholes" created by glaciers many years ago. Prior to settlement, this area was a paradise for waterfowl, prairie chickens, whooping cranes, bison, wolves, and other prairie wildlife. The area remains a critical waterfowl production and migration area.

Native prairie remnants from 1 to 560 acres may be found on waterfowl production areas within the District.

Mallard, blue-winged teal and woodduck are the primary waterfowl species. A variety of neotropical songbirds may be found within the District too.

Visitor Opportunities
Recreational opportunities in this area include: visitor center, visitor contact station, educational programs, wildlife observation, hiking trails, auto tour route, non-motorized boating, hunting, fishing.

Accessibility: The National Wildlife Refuge System is working to ensure that facilities and programs are accessible to visitors. Please contact the refuge office for information about accessibility at this unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

The District's office is located on Edwards Waterfowl Production Area. There is a visitor area with displays on: work of the service, waterfowl migration, native prairie, land use, wetlands, and prairie ducks. There is also a hiking trail (1.2 miles) with sections meeting requirements for people with physical disabilities. This trail includes foot bridges and an observation deck overlooking a wetland. This trail winds through native prairie, woodland, and around a wetland. An auto tour route designed to explain wildlife practices applicable on private lands is available for guided tours and open each Thursday of the week from May through October. Interpretive programs are available upon request.

All WPA's are open to hunting (except the area surrounding the hiking trail), trapping, bird watching, and nature photography, to name a few.

Management Programs
The primary objective of this District is to acquire, develop, and manage habitat for waterfowl production and maintenance. Former cropland is seeded to native prairie grasses for waterfowl nesting cover. Drained wetlands are restored for waterfowl breeding pair and brood habitat. The District also has 29 water control structures to manipulate a total of 934 wetland acres. Grazing, haying, and prescribed burning are utilized to manage approximately 3,000 acres of native prairie and native grass seedings on 30 different waterfowl production areas annually. Noxious weed control also covers approximately 1,000 acres annually.

Directions
The office is located 4 miles east of Morris on County Road 10.

Route 1, Box 877
Morris, MN 56267
Phone (320) 589-1001
Fax (320) 589-2624
E-mail: rollin_siegfried@fws.gov